Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [121]
The fat, separated from the confit jelly (see pages 256–257), can be reusued several times before it becomes too salty. The fat will, of course also pick up the seasonings used, so depending on the seasonings you’re using the next time, you may need fresh fat.
STORING
Certainly it’s possible to chill the legs overnight in the cooking pot and reheat them to eat the next day, but letting them rest, or “ripen” as some chefs say, for a week or longer will improve their texture and flavor. To store them for a short period—a week to ten days—simply refrigerate them in the pot or transfer them to a storage container, pour the rewarmed fat over the legs, and refrigerate. If you decide to confit many legs and store them for months, we recommend adding 1 teaspoon/6 grams pink salt to the cure for every 5 pounds/2.25 kilograms of meat. We also recommend transferring the duck to a storage container, preferably an earthenware crock that will keep light out. Ladle the hot fat over the legs until they are completely submerged, being careful not to pick up any juices that have settled in the bottom of the pot (the jelly), which can sour over time. Once the fat has congealed, place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the fat, so that no air reaches it, cover with a lid or with foil, and store in the back of your refrigerator for up to 6 months.
SERVING
To serve the confit, remove it from the refrigerator several hours before reheating it to allow the fat to soften; the duck is delicate and can tear if you try to remove it from fat that’s too firm. To reheat the duck, arrange the pieces skin side down in an ovenproof sauté pan and heat over medium heat until the skin begins to render its fat and get crispy, about 5 minutes. Then turn them skin skin side up and finish them in a hot oven (425 degrees F./220 degrees C.), 5 to 10 minutes. Or if the skin is not too thick, you can simply reheat in the hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes. For the best confit, the skin must become crisp.
DUCK CONFIT WITH CLOVE
You can serve duck confit in many ways. It’s wonderful on a salad with a sharp vinaigrette (some of the salty confit jelly blended in here is excellent). It goes well with green vegetables such as spinach or Brussels sprouts. It’s wonderful in risotto, superb in soups and stews, and, shredded, it can be a filling for pasta or a corn tortilla, or it might be used as garnish in a cold pâté. Of course it’s perfect rested atop diced potatoes fried in duck fat.
6 Pekin (Long Island) duck legs, about 5 pounds/2.25 kilograms
11⁄2 ounces/40 grams kosher salt (3 tablespoons)
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 bay leaves
2 to 4 cups/500 to 1000 milliliters rendered duck fat or lard (see page 260) or a combination
1. Sprinkle the duck legs all over with the salt, and put them in nonreactive container.
2. Roughly crush the cloves and peppercorns with the side of a knife and scatter evenly over the duck. Press some sliced garlic onto each duck leg. Break the bay leaves in half and press a half-leaf onto each piece of duck. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 48 hours.
3. Rinse the duck under cold water, wiping off all the seasonings. Pat dry.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 to 200 degrees F./82 to 93 degrees C. (depending on how low you can set it).
5. Place the duck legs in a pot; a 6-quart stockpot or a Dutch oven works well for this. The legs can be in one layer or two layers; the only critical factor is that you have enough fat to completely cover the duck. Cover the legs with fat and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Then place, uncovered, in the oven and cook for 6 hours, or until the legs are completely